Trending Topics

‘I Had to Pretend to Be In Love with Jasmine’: Kadeem Hardison Speaks About the Time He Was Caught Up in a Whirlwind Romance on and Off Camera with This ‘A Different World’ Co-Star

“A Different World” star Kadeem Hardison had plenty of love on set while filming the hit series that brought student life at fictional HBCU Hillman College to the mainstream. In an upcoming episode of TV One’s “Uncensored,” Hardison is opening up about a whirlwind romance he shared with a co-star that may take some friends by surprise.

The series, which was a spinoff of “The Cobsy Show,” ran for six seasons from 1987 to 1993. On the show, Hardison played Dwayne Wayne, who was the love interest of actress Jasmine Guy’s character, Whitley Gilbert. The talented actors kept audiences engulfed with their off-the-charts chemistry and sometimes all-too relatable love story.

But what some viewers may have missed was the real connection Hardison shared with actress Cree Summer, who played Whitley and Dwayne’s friend, Winifred “Freddie” Brooks. In his sit-down interview the “K.C. Undercover” star recalled, “Cree and I, from the time we met, became best friends.”

He continued, “One night we went out and then we started kissing, and the next thing you know, she was telling me she was in love with me, and I was just stunned. And then I had to pretend to be in love with Jasmine while being in love with Cree.” The real-life couple was photographed on red carpets canoodling over the course of their year-long courtship. They even managed to sneak a moment of art imitating life into the show.

During the season-five opener, Dwayne and Whitley returned to campus after getting engaged. In the scene, the couple walked into the pit where their friends were eagerly waiting to greet them. Whitley was embraced by her friend Kimberly Reese and Dwayne made his way through the crowd, where he was then seen embracing and kissing Freddie. In 2019, a fan called Hardison and Summer out on Twitter about the sly peck that made it into the episode.

“I need answers,” tweeted the inquisitive fan. Summer offered a response by writing, “We thought we were slick [laughing emoji].” And Hardison chimed in with “…I’d say we were, only took ‘em 25 yrs to catch up.”

Fans pining for a trip back down memory lane can catch Hardison and Guy as they celebrate the show’s 35th anniversary on Sept. 24 in an all-day marathon on TV One  beginning at 6 a.m.

Back to top